Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Sarawak Cost of Living Comparison Between Penang and Sarawak

😐 Solo nomad: Penang is 0.2% more expensive than Sarawak without rent, and 5% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Penang is 1.4% cheaper than Sarawak without rent, and 12.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.07 MYR 12.13

$3.57 MYR 14.12

-14.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.19 MYR 83.7

$18.50 MYR 73.1

14.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.20 MYR 16.58

$5.32 MYR 21.00

-21.05%

Cappuccino

$2.96 MYR 11.71

$2.72 MYR 10.76

8.82%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 MYR 2.93

$0.76 MYR 3.02

-2.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.45

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.49 MYR 17.73

$7.76 MYR 30.66

-42.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 MYR 17.40

$8.62 MYR 34.04

-48.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 MYR 7.52

$1.82 MYR 7.19

4.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MYR 3.92

$0.95 MYR 3.74

4.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 MYR 8.11

$1.25 MYR 4.95

64.00%

Eggs

$2.15 MYR 8.48

$2.07 MYR 8.19

3.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.37 MYR 68.6

$15.13 MYR 59.8

14.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 MYR 19.74

$2.60 MYR 10.29

92.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.88 MYR 58.8

$9.27 MYR 36.63

60.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MYR 10.96

$2.87 MYR 11.32

-3.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 5.80

$1.52 MYR 6.00

-3.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 MYR 10.21

$2.62 MYR 10.34

-1.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MYR 8.66

$1.38 MYR 5.45

58.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 MYR 4.50

$1.18 MYR 4.68

-3.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.75

$1.29 MYR 5.08

-6.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 MYR 3.53

$1.04 MYR 4.09

-14.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 MYR 1.93

$0.68 MYR 2.68

-27.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 MYR 17.18

$4.15 MYR 16.38

4.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.52 MYR 77.1

$21.77 MYR 86.0

-10.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 MYR 10.34

$2.75 MYR 10.87

-4.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 MYR 13.75

$2.89 MYR 11.41

20.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 MYR 1.80

$0.70 MYR 2.75

-34.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.36 MYR 68.6

$11.84 MYR 46.76

46.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 MYR 2.68

$1.20 MYR 4.72

-43.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MYR 1.98

$0.99 MYR 3.92

-49.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.19 MYR 28.39

$5.95 MYR 23.50

20.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 MYR 1.96

$0.50 MYR 1.99

-2.00%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.0K MYR 134.2K

$35.2K MYR 139.1K

-3.50%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.9K MYR 110.1K

$32.0K MYR 126.5K

-13.00%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$39.37 MYR 156

$43.22 MYR 171

-8.91%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$10.01 MYR 39.54

$8.98 MYR 35.46

11.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.45 MYR 124

$29.36 MYR 116

7.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.02 MYR 130

$37.52 MYR 148

-11.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.53 MYR 21.84

$5.82 MYR 22.98

-4.98%

Cinema Ticket

$4.81 MYR 19.01

$4.89 MYR 19.32

-1.64%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$237 MYR 937

$191 MYR 755

24.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,252 MYR 24.7K

$6,812 MYR 26.9K

-8.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 MYR 214

$36.39 MYR 144

49.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.00 MYR 115

$39.41 MYR 156

-26.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.5 MYR 247

$77.4 MYR 306

-19.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.4 MYR 207

$56.1 MYR 221

-6.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 MYR 1,556

$335 MYR 1,322

17.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$230 MYR 910

$267 MYR 1,056

-13.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$641 MYR 2,531

$510 MYR 2,013

25.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$517 MYR 2,042

$357 MYR 1,411

44.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,335 MYR 9,224

$1,750 MYR 6,913

33.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,191 MYR 4,703

$882 MYR 3,484

34.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$974 MYR 3,849

$432 MYR 1,705

125.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

4.07

2.21%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Penang: March 2, 2026

Last update for Sarawak: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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